How long do DVD's and CD's last?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Faerie Lin	19 Jul 2002
On an early national news show here they were talking about how vinyl was way better than CD's. One of the men were saying most of his CD's which he had gotten in the early 90's didn't even play anymore. And even though vinyl has been kinda swept to the side, it is now starting to come back in full swing. I know DJ's use vinyl (duh)... but should all the non-djing people buy it too? I guess my question is.... is it a good idea to have a HUGE DVD and CD collection? My husband and I have started accumulating a rather nice DVD collection, but hell, if its not gonna last that long... whats the use? Any info on shelf-life on DVD and CD would be greatly appreciated. I think I am torn here... Lin

jade	19 Jul 2002
i doubt strongly that we will go back................and i think that dvd's are here for at least another 10 years. (since vcr movies lasted even longer than that!) it's all about popular demand and since we are all collecting dvd's and cd and they work sooo well in our computers as well,......i can't see them becoming obsolete.......i can't imagine trying to fit vinyl into my computer heehee but what do i know, jade

Red raven	19 Jul 2002
he probably left them in bad conditions if they stopped after only ten years. I believe CD's last longer. the 'pits' aren't exposed like records. *stuff you probably already knew* the shiny stuff on CD's is foil. it's got all the 'pits' lasered into it. if you want a CD to last long Keep it out of extreme heat or the sun (melts the foil) and don't scratch the top. (bottom scratches are fixable. one on the top and you can throw your CD away.) another reason I think they'd last longer is because they're no actual physical contact between the player and the CD surface. on records their was the needle. you'd think that would eventally wear the record down. sorry, I rambled there...

Lightlike	19 Jul 2002
One suggestion I have is make copies of your cds and keep your originals at home and carry copies with you wherever you go. The reason I suggest this is if your copy gets messed up by heat (the sun) or scratches you'll have your original at home and I find that its easier to leave copies in my car so that I don't have to tote my favorite cds back and forth from my house to my car or wherever I am going. Plus copies are fairly cheap to make and replace whereas an original cd can be more expensive and/or irreplacable. Btw, you can always make copies of your favorite dvds, too.

Faerie Lin	19 Jul 2002
As yes, thankyou for your responses. Come to think of it, Brian is always copying music to CDs. I was thinking they lasted longer too. I dunno what that man was talking about. I know alot of people who turn CD's and DVD's over to lay them down... they are doing it wrong!!! I REALLY want a DVD burner, that would be great!!, waiting for the prices to reach my price range... seen any good deals? I guess for old jazz type music and other old classics hearing it on vinyl would be cool for the "essence" of it.. but other than that.... nahhhh lol. Lin

Lightlike	19 Jul 2002
Google it... I found several websites just by searching... You'll just need a DVD drive and CD-RW drive on the same computer and then get some software to burn copies of the DVDs with the CD-RW. It shouldn't be too hard or expensive...

Faerie Lin	19 Jul 2002
Cool! Thanx!!!! Lin

tabbycat	20 Jul 2002
Some of the CDs I bought in the 80's have deteriorated - the silver foil has turned bronze and discoloured. They still play okay and I think it's only a problem with some of the earliest CDs, not the latest ones or DVDs. My boyfriend, who lurks in the groups who know about these things, says that CDs and CDRs will probably last at least 50 years, and long before that, we'll have found another sort of media to store data/music on that will hold more stuff and last longer. Jilly

Faerie Lin	20 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by tabbycat Some of the CDs I bought in the 80's have deteriorated - the silver foil has turned bronze and discoloured. They still play okay and I think it's only a problem with some of the earliest CDs, not the latest ones or DVDs. My boyfriend, who lurks in the groups who know about these things, says that CDs and CDRs will probably last at least 50 years, and long before that, we'll have found another sort of media to store data/music on that will hold more stuff and last longer. Jilly Ah, well hell, 50 years is great!!! Thanks tabbycat and tabbycat's boyfriend!! :D Lin

Umbrae	20 Jul 2002
I have some '78's from 1913 that still play just fine on the Graphanola. I have less faith in the modern mediums. Although they do have other uses after they are dead, trap shooting targets is an excellent example.

floracove	21 Jul 2002
You can glue the picture sides together and put ribbon thru the hole and you have some nice christmas ornaments...or some fishing line and then use as wind chimes... just a thought.

purplelady	22 Jul 2002
I was under the impression that cd's last quite a long time. Longer that vinyl , where the diamond tipped needle actually touches and wears it down with every play, plus vinyl records warp over time and if exposed to any heat, moisture etc. However, I have this idea that SOON something new will be invented and marketed. It may be the mini-cd , or something different. But everyone will have to have it because.....................well, because everyone Else has it. And so we'll all get rid of our cd's. Just like we got rid of those 8 track tapes, and vinyl records, and cassette tapes, and buy new collections of whatver it may be, along with the new gizmo to play them :D .

Faerie Lin	22 Jul 2002
Fun and cool ideas for old CD's!!! Breaking some up with a hammer and using the pieces for a mosiac on a tabletop sounds like a cool idea too! purplelady you are so right. I vaguely remember those "laser discs." I think they were called that... Lin

mermaiden	22 Jul 2002
I generally believe that if you keep them in good condition they will last longer than VHS and audio cassette (I think it's meant to be longer-lasting as one of the perks). Like mentioned before, however, they must be keep out of heat and handled with care.

The How long do DVD's and CD's last? thread was originally posted on 19 Jul 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.